"Pray with your mouth, cry out with your heart, make petitions while you work, so that every day and night, every hour and moment, God may always assist you." These are the words of the ninth-century, Christian noblewoman, Dhouda. She penned these words of admonition to her son William. She was concerned that her oldest son, a page in the court of Charles the Bald, would understand what it means to be a godly man. Dhouda's Handbook for William contained wise counsel to her son concerning the necessity of daily prayer, his conduct in public worship, and the importance of his reverence in prayer, in worship, and in all of life.
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The military of ancient Rome really blew it. When it came to the resurrection of Jesus, the troops who guarded his tomb could have saved us all a lot of time and trouble by just giving up his dead body. One problem: they never did. They didn't because they couldn't. And they couldn't because, despite what you may have read, the resurrection of Jesus was and is a well-attested fact, perhaps the best-attested fact of antiquity.
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The prophetic oracles found within the seventh century B.C. book of Nahum concern Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. Approximately a century before Nahum, Jonah had been sent to the Ninevites, and they had repented upon hearing the prophetic word. Their repentance, however, was apparently short lived because Nahum now addresses a wicked and brutal empire. There are a number of helpful commentaries on the Book of Nahum, and the following are five of the best.
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This is the second part of our two-part series on the very important, but very uncomfortable topic of what the Bible teaches about hell. In the first installment, we learned three key points about hell. We learned, first, that hell is a place far more frightful than we could ever imagine; second, that it is a place where God is present in holy wrath; and, third, that it is a place of God's perfect justice. Such truths should cause you and me to seek a place to hide, to look for a way of escape. Thankfully, God has provided that place to hide, that way of escape. Let us consider our two final points in our brief study of hell.
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The topic of this two-part series is very important. But it is also very uncomfortable. My subject is what the Bible teaches us about hell. You may respond with fear. You should respond with fear if you are not a Christian. But my prayer is that God will replace your fear with faith in our Lord Jesus. He is God's Son who saves sinners from hell. If you are a Christian, my prayer is that you will praise God for Jesus who has saved you from hell.
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"If It Feels Good, Is It Good?" Hedonism makes a value judgment by saying that the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure are good. At the same time, it produces a system of ethics which, in turn, produces a certain behavioral pattern of morality. A popular maxim of our culture is "If it feels good, it is good." Goodness is determined by feeling. Popular music communicates the message that the final test of what is right is the feeling test.
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Stoics: Seeking Peace of Mind In addition, the Epicureans searched for the same thing that the Stoics sought, but they approached it in a completely different manner. The goal of Epicurean philosophy was the achievement of peace of mind. This quest was not unique to the Epicureans. Doesn't everyone want peace of mind? The answer is obvious, but how does one obtain it? The Stoics felt that the only way to find peace of mind was by adopting a philosophy they called "imperturbability." That means you don't let anything bother you. You adopt a "stoical attitude" toward all things. You do not get emotionally involved, you do not get your hopes up, nor do you let your hopes down, but you maintain an emotional state of equilibrium where nothing bothers you. You adopt a detached feeling toward those things over which you have no control.
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This unique audio offering from the newly formed Ligonier Sinfonia, led by Dr. Terry Yount, is a treat both historically and musically. Samples from Baroque concerto literature like Bach's Violin and Oboe Concerto in d minor, plus a variety of instrumental works by Telemann, Handel, Vivaldi, and Couperin will delight Baroque fans. These high Baroque pieces feature recorder and harpsichord, organ and strings, flute, oboe, gamba, and harpsichord solo. Enjoy a taste of the popular music from the courts of Weimar, Paris, Venice and London. Fourteen tracks altogether.
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Some Americans have never heard the word hedonism but few have not experienced the impact of the philosophy of hedonism on their lives. As a world view, hedonism has as its basic principle the belief that the good and the evil are defined in terms of pleasure and pain. Man's ultimate purpose for living is to be found in enjoying pleasure and avoiding pain. The hedonist's constant goal in life is to pursue those things which increase pleasure and decrease pain.
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